Life at Post

Life as a DCM's SpouseIf you’ve been in this game long enough to be bidding on DCM jobs, you know something about the position and why your spouse is interested in bidding on it. But this particular job also generates real labor for you, the spouse. Whether it’s making sure the staff can handle events at your house several [...]

Dealing with Winter BluesIt’s that time of year again. In northern latitudes, the days are now getting shorter and colder. Some people love the onset of winter, but others dread the coming months. For those of us with Seasonal Affective Disorder, AKA “winter blues,” the changing seasons mean months of fighting off lethargy, aches and pains, and crankiness. [...]

10 Ways to Adjust Faster to a New PostIf you moved this summer, you might find some of the following tips useful. Share your own on AAFSW’s Facebook page, or send them to me at president@aafsw.org! 1. Strike a balance between exploring and recovering. To move forward in your adjustment, you need to get out and meet people, explore, try new things … [...]

Why You Need a Virtual Private NetworkWhen my in-laws moved to Bangladesh for their first Foreign Service assignment in 1977, leaving America meant leaving everything–from family to financial institutions–behind. Back then, people used telegrams, handwritten letters and long-distance phone calls to manage their affairs and to keep in touch with loved ones in the US. Unfortunately, even with home leave to [...]

Social Networking at PostA Great Idea We’d Like to Share Foreign Service family member Liz Amen has written up her experience of starting an Embassy community Facebook page in Brasilia for our newsletter, Global Link. We think it is such a good idea that we decided to share her article online as well, in hopes that it will [...]

Unicycles, Rubber Chickens and KilnsThe Makings of a Foreign Service Home By Leslie Ashby Whoever thought to tell a man by his shoes never checked out his Household Effects (HHE) or Unaccompanied Air Baggage (UAB). Foreign Service families like us are on the move every few years, and with us, most of our stuff. What we chose to bring [...]

Get Your Household Into Shape for the New Year!“Lose weight” is a typical New Year’s resolution. It carries special significance in the Foreign Service. In just a few months, many of us will be packing up to move. Will your shipment weigh in under the limit? Will you be moving from a spacious tropical house to a tiny European apartment or DC-area townhouse? [...]

Playgroup with a PurposeBy Jan Fischer Bachman You’ve been posted overseas, and the only preschool with acceptable standards costs $15,000 a year. Other than take out a second mortgage, what can you do? The Nassau Home School Preschool In The Bahamas we joined the “Home School Preschool,” which had already been functioning for a number of years. The [...]

Coping with Nonstop House Guestsby Patricia Linderman Dear Personal and Confidential, We are at an attractive post and have non-stop guests — and I am going crazy! It’s expensive to feed and entertain everyone, and we’re all irritable and exhausted. Help! --Crazy in the Caribbean Dear Crazy: I sympathize with you completely. The main problem here, unfortunately, is a [...]

Home Leave is No Vacationby Kate Goggin I’m going home for a visit this summer and the anxiety levels are already rising. How do we visit both sets of grandparents when they live 960 km apart? Where will we stay and how will we get around since we sold our house and shipped our car? And how will we [...]

Dealing with that Awful Moving Feelingby Patricia Linderman Dear Personal and Confidential: We’re not moving to another country until this summer, about four months from now, but I’m already a nervous wreck. I lie awake at night with my head full of all the things I still have to do (sell our car, enroll the kids in their new school, [...]

What to Take to the Tropicsby Patricia Linderman The wintry weather at my current post has me reminiscing about the five years I spent in the tropics. The sun, the colorful birds and flowers, the beaches … the mildew, the bugs, the constant heat rash … Luckily, you can minimize the negative aspects of the tropics and make the most [...]

How to Survive and Thrive as an FS SpouseTips to Survive and Thrive as a Foreign Service Spouse Collected by Pat Olsen, veteran econ officer spouse, still surviving after 17 years, 3 boys, 3 pets, and 5 countries. BE SOMEONE. Maintain your professional self – or develop a new one. Most of us have learned first hand the lack of availability of spouse [...]

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The Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide is a non-profit organization that has been representing Foreign Service spouses, employees and retirees since 1960. AAFSW is an independent advocate for its membership, giving members a stronger voice when working on common concerns and a chance to enjoy shared interests.